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John Wayne Speaks on the ‘American Way of Life’ in 1974 Interview – My Blog

John Wayne gave an interview almost a half century ago to a British journalist. What’s so unusual about that? It feels like it could’ve been conducted in today political given that it featured the same sort of themes.In politics, what’s old is new again.Michael Parkinson, the journalist, said John Wayne already was cranky before the interview started because of his jet lag and health. It was January, 1974. That year, Wayne starred in McQ, a crime drama. He still was two years away from his final movie, “The Տһootıѕt.” Wayne ԁıеԁ of cancer in 1979.Parkinson directed some of the questions to an earlier time in the Duke’s life, back when Wayne headed the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals. Wayne presided over the group from 1949 through 1953. The goal of the group was to protect “the American way of life” in movies, guarding them from “communists and fascists.” Future U.S. president Ronald Reagan was a member of the organization. So were Walt Disney and Ginger Rogers. The group supplied witnesses to the investigations of the U.S. House Committee on Un-American Activities.Conversely, opponents of the group said its members were anti-semetic, fascist, anti-union, isolationist and supportive of Jim Crow laws.Anyone recognize this discussion as reflective of the current right versus left, politically-charged split in this country? Maybe sub out communist for socialist.Parkinson asked John Wayne about the group. Here’s the question Parkinson asked:“Can I talk to you now about another much-publicized aspect of your life, which is the political views you hold. I’d like to ask you about that period in Hollywood when you were to the forefront of people who were blacklisting alleged communist members of the industry.”John Wayne Says His Group Never Black ListedJohn Wayne disputed whether his group did any black listing.“No,” he said, “they were blacklisting. We didn’t name anybody, we stayed completely out of it and said: ‘We are Americans.’ Anybody who wanted to join us, it was fine. We gave no names out to anybody at any time, ever.“I think it was probably a very necessary thing at the time,” Wayne said. “Because the radical liberals were going to take over our business and you wouldn’t have had any pictures like that then.”Parkinson and Wayne then got into a tiff on whether some writers were blacklisted and why. Parkinson asked Wayne if it was ok to ban writers who shared different political ideas.“At the time, it seemed rather serious, and they were getting themselves into a position where they could control who would do the writing.”“Definitely, anytime, if that’s their opinion. But the trouble was that they were spouting by rote somebody else’s way of life, and that’s all right for those fellas over there, that’s the way they want to live, but we don’t have to have it in our country.”Wayne Hated ‘High Noon’In the interview, John Wayne also talked about his distaste for the iconic movie “High Noon.” It starred Gary Cooper as the marshal in a territory in New Mexico. Four outlaws were headed Cooper’s way to κıււ him. His wife wanted him to leave the town before they got there. Few of the towns people wanted to help Cooper. They worried about their businesses or were scared of getting κıււed. A deputy wanted to be made marshal after Cooper left. It sounds like modern-day dysfunction, too.Gary Cooper κıււed the bad guys in a shoot out. Then he took off his badge, threw it on the ground and stepped on it. John Wayne said none of that rang true to him.“I don’t think that’s the United States of America,” Wayne said.The 1959 film “Rio Bravo” was Wayne’s response to High Noon.John Wayne also talked to Parkinson about his other ideals. Parkinson said Wayne’s capitalist views were his way of life. How was that any different than what the writers believed?“Well, I don’t think ‘capitalist’ is such an unpopular word,” John Wayne said. “In 200 years we’ve taken a wilderness and built a factory that feeds the world, a farm that feeds the world. And we’ve been doing our best to help everybody out that we can. I think it’s a pretty good way of living.”

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How did Paul Koslo ever have a tense encounter with star John Wayne ? – My Blog

In 1975, the Canadian actor starring The Duke in Rooster Cogburn. At the time, Koslo was only 19 and still relatively green in the industry. So working with the Hollywood legend was a bit stressful.


During an installment of World on Westerns, Paul Koslo shared his experiences with John Wayne, including a time where he nearly stepped on Wayne’s lines.As the story goes, Wayne had a short 15 line monologue. And once he was finished, Koslo was supposed to respond. And as they were filming, Wayne said his part. But when it was Koslo’s turn, he froze.“The director said ‘Paul, why didn’t you say your lines?’” the actor remembered.

“And I said, ‘well, because I didn’t wanna cut him off because he hadn’t said all of his lines yet.’” Hearing the conversation, John Wayne jumped in saying, “who’s gonna? Nobody’s gonna cut me off. I can say whatever I want, you got it, kid?”Of course, the interaction made Koslo nervous, and the only response he could muster was, “okay, sir.”However, the actor admitted that the Western icon wasn’t as intimidating as the story made him sound.

Koslo shared that as long as his co-stars worked hard, Wayne was always their biggest supporter.“My impression of him was that if you did your stuff, and you were right on top of it, he was your best buddy. But if you were like a slacker, or you weren’t prepared, he could get on your case.”During the AWOW interview, Paul Koslo also shared some details behind the age-old feud between John Wayne and Katharine Hepburn.

“I mean, Kate and him, they were always like this,” said Koslo, while punching his fists together.According to Koslo, politics were behind the fight. Hepburn was a democrat and Wayne was a republican.“It seemed like… in a fun way. I don’t know if it was for real,” he admitted. “You know, she would be sitting on the hood of a truck going like a hundred feet down to the set where they were shooting, and how Wallis was having heart attacks. She was really a daredevil, and she was full of piss and vinegar.”

The actor also noted that he didn’t get to spend much time with the actress, so he couldn’t get a proper gauge on the so-called feud. Almost all his time was spent with The Duke.The only interaction Koslo had with Hepburn was while shooting an intense scene where they were “moving this nitroglycerin to another location because we were going to rob the U.S. Treasury with it, and [John Wayne’s] about to ambush us.”And that happened right before Paul Koslo nearly stepped on John Wayne’s lines.

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What John Wayne said in his angry letter to Clint Eastwood and how Eastwood responded. – My Blog

John Wayne and Clint Eastwood are the two biggest icons of the Western movies, however, Wayne wasn’t always a fan of Eastwood’s work. In fact, Wayne hated one of Eastwood’s Westerns so much he sent him a letter decrying the film. Here’s how Eastwood reacted to the letter — and how the public reacted to this movie.

This Clint Eastwood movie was a lot darker than John Wayne’s films : First, a little background. The Western was a staple of American cinema from its early days. It often presented a glorified view of American expansionism. During and after the civil rights movement, Westerns began to evolve, often presenting a critical or at least cynical view of the Old West. Movies like that became especially popular during the 1970s, but by the 1980s the genre was no longer an American staple.


One of the more famous dark Westerns from the 1970s was High Plains Drifter. The film is about a mysterious criminal who comes into town, to get revenge for his brother who was murdered as many of the townsfolk watched by idly. No one in the film is very sympathetic — they’re all either evil or passive in the face of evil. It’s a far cry from the more uplifting films which made Wayne famous.


What John Wayne said in his letter to Clint Eastwood — and how Eastwood responded : It’s very easy to see High Plains Drifter as a critique of the American West. According to the book Ride, Boldly Ride: The Evolution of the American Western, that’s how Wayne saw the film. In addition, he saw it as incorrect.Eastwood told Kenneth Turan “John Wayne once wrote me a letter saying he didn’t like High Plains Drifter. He said it wasn’t really about the people who pioneered the West.

I realized that there’s two different generations, and he wouldn’t understand what I was doing. High Plains Drifter was meant to be a fable: it wasn’t meant to show the hours of pioneering drudgery. It wasn’t supposed to be anything about settling the West.” According to the book John Wayne: The Life and Legend, Eastwood did not write back. How the public reacted to ‘High Plains Drifter’ : Clearly, Wayne was upset by the film. This raises an interesting question: Did High Plains Drifter resonate with the public?

According to Box Office Mojo, High Plains Drifter earned over $15 million. Even by the standards of the 1970s, High Plains Drifter was not a tremendous hit. For comparison, Box Office Mojo reports a less dark 1970s Western starring Eastwood called The Outlaw Josey Wales earned over $31 million.Regardless, High Plains Drifter has a bit of a legacy. It was the first Western that Eastwood directed himself. Eastwood would go on to direct several other Westerns including the Oscar-winning Unforgiven. Wayne wasn’t much of a fan of High Plains Drifter — and neither was the public.

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John Wayne spent a lot of time in Mexico doing charity work at orphanages . – My Blog

Easily overlooked amid the prolific acting career and larger-than-life persona was John Wayne’s generosity. He was generous with his family, whom he welcomed into his own career with open arms. And in the years since his ԁеаtһ, the philanthropy carried out by his estate has been dedicated to cancer research.Recently, the official John Wayne Instagram account posted a throwback photo from 1970.


It shows Duke visiting a Mexican orphanage with actress Raquel Welch.“Giving back to the community was important to Duke, he’s pictured here with Raquel Welch visiting an orphanage in Mexico in 1970,” the caption of the post reads.The heartwarming photo shows John Wayne giving a smile to a child outside the orphanage. Raquel Welch can be seen behind him to the right, doing the same thing.

John Wayne Had an Affinity for Mexico : John Wayne spent a lot of time in Mexico. For one, the iconic Western actor filmed no less than six movies in the country throughout his career. Beyond his acting career, however, Duke just loved spending time there.Granted, most of that time wasn’t spent at orphanages. But John Wayne did his small part in other ways too.

The town of Chupaderos in Northwestern Mexico was effectively built by Wayne and the movies he filmed there. Although, it did fall on hard times after he stopped making movies there.Nonetheless, Mexico was one of Wayne’s favorite destinations. His estate posted another photo back in April of the Western icon taking in the sights of Acapulco.“Duke loved to travel all over the world and one of his favorite places to visit was Mexico.

He’s pictured here in Acapulco in the late 1940’s, where he owned a hotel called Hotel Los Flamingos with his friend Johnny Weissmuller, who played Tarzan,” part of the caption reads.One of the things that brought Wayne to Mexico was his yacht, the Wild Goose. One of his favorite activities was sailing it down the coast of Mexico with his family.“For a long time, whenever I dreamed about him, we were on the boat,” John Wayne’s daughter Marisa said.Duke Owned a Hotel in Acapulco, Mexico : As the caption from the Instagram posts mentions, John Wayne owned a hotel in Mexico.

Along with a group of celebrities, John Wayne bought Hotel Los Flamingos in 1954 to use as a private getaway.After using it for vacations and private events for a few years, the group decided to sell the hotel. Today, Hotel Los Flamingos is still in operation. And fortunately for travel-inclined fans of the Duke, getting a room there is actually pretty affordable.

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